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I saw on the news on Wednesday that a rare willie wagtail had made it's home in a Perth suburb. This is a shortened version of an ABC file with their photo.
The bird is believed to have a condition known as leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation.
Local resident Annie Barisic has been watching the bird in her back garden for the last few weeks. Ms Barisic thought this one was an albino willie wagtail, which she found out was rare, but said it was even more unusual. The experts said he's even rarer than an albino, so this may be the first time Perth's actually able to get photos and get it confirmed what he is.
Albinos had a pink eye, and this one had a normal blackish eye.
Experts say they have not seen a leucistic willie wagtail in Perth for 50 years. Leucistic birds often don't survive, sometimes because they're not accepted by their peers," he said.
They become a little more noticeable, so they're often predated quite early and often, because they're strange looking, find it hard to get a mate. So the opportunities for them are very limited.
Wagtail numbers were hit hard in the 1970s in Perth when spraying to eliminate an infestation of Argentine ants also affected their food sources, however they had since recovered.
Ms Barisic said she was seeing the white wagtail in her garden every day, skirting around hunting for worms and other food.
She said "If I scrape the ground a bit for worms he'll come,"
"He is a little bit more reserved and he stays a little bit further away from me, but he is a bit of a younger bird too."
The bird is believed to have a condition known as leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation.
Local resident Annie Barisic has been watching the bird in her back garden for the last few weeks. Ms Barisic thought this one was an albino willie wagtail, which she found out was rare, but said it was even more unusual. The experts said he's even rarer than an albino, so this may be the first time Perth's actually able to get photos and get it confirmed what he is.
Albinos had a pink eye, and this one had a normal blackish eye.
Experts say they have not seen a leucistic willie wagtail in Perth for 50 years. Leucistic birds often don't survive, sometimes because they're not accepted by their peers," he said.
They become a little more noticeable, so they're often predated quite early and often, because they're strange looking, find it hard to get a mate. So the opportunities for them are very limited.
Wagtail numbers were hit hard in the 1970s in Perth when spraying to eliminate an infestation of Argentine ants also affected their food sources, however they had since recovered.
Ms Barisic said she was seeing the white wagtail in her garden every day, skirting around hunting for worms and other food.
She said "If I scrape the ground a bit for worms he'll come,"
"He is a little bit more reserved and he stays a little bit further away from me, but he is a bit of a younger bird too."
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